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India’s most decorated women’s cricketer Mithali Raj announced her retirement from all forms of cricket on Wednesday (8 June). The Indian captain said it was time for her to look at a new beginning. Raj also added that she will try to contribute to the growth of women’s cricket in the country in whichever way possible.
With more than a two-decades-long career coming to an end, everyone extended their wishes to Mithali and wished her the best for future endeavors. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla also reacted after Raj announced her decision to draw curtains on a special career.
Shukla acknowledged the contributions made by Mithali in the growth of women’s cricket and congratulated her for making a mark after overcoming many hardships. He then also clarified that it was Raj’s own decision to call it a day and the BCCI had nothing to do with it.
"In my view, Mithali Raj's contribution as far as Indian women's cricket is concerned is immense. You are aware that women's cricket in India was not in a good condition, two decades back and there were even financial problems. Later, BCCI decided to take it under their setup and today team India is able to face teams like Australia and England which are far more developed," Rajeev Shukla told ANI.
"Mithali Raj is the one who took Team India to its pinnacle, not just in terms of performance but also in terms of leadership. As you know that BCCI never forces anyone to take such calls so it was ultimately her own decision to retire. We would like to wish her all the best and we hope that she keeps on contributing to Indian women's cricket," Rajiv Shukla added.
Notably, Mithali Raj retired as the leading run-scorer in the women's ODIs. She represented India in 232 matches, scoring 7805 runs at an average of 50.68. In Tests, Mithali has smashed 699 runs in 12 matches with a brilliant average of 43.68. She also has 2364 runs in 89 T20Is.